The Business of Play: eSports, Betting, and Infrastructure

On this episode, we explore the collision of sports culture, high-stakes finance, and the digital frontier. We move past the scoreboard to look at the business of being an athlete in the modern era—from the “identity economy” where virtual skins hold as much weight as vintage sneakers, to the brutal reality of the “Jock Tax” and the pressure to save everyone back home. This conversation redefines what it means to build a legacy, shifting the focus from simply making money to mastering the systems that preserve it.

Features: Kai Bond (Courtside VC) explains the billion-dollar shift in how Gen Z defines ownership; NFL linebacker Jaylon Smith and business manager Michael Edo get real about financial literacy and overcoming the “Savior Complex”; Tyrre Burks (Player’s Health) shares how he leveraged athletic resilience to disrupt the insurance industry; and NBA star Terance Mann joins Julian Aikens (W3 Sports) to discuss navigating the volatility of Web3. Tune in for a masterclass on how the discipline of sport translates into the language of equity and innovation.

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